smile
by firefilia
Summary: Making Lucy smile is what Natsu does best.


**A/N: I wrote this before the Tartarus Arc ended, so I guess it's kinda an AU? I just wanted some good old-fashioned fluff. It's my first Fairy Tail fic, so I hope you like it. Enjoy this little one-shot!**

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Lucy Heartfilia woke up to the feeling of the sun hitting her skin through her bedroom window, slowly opening her eyes. She moved to get up, but was pulled back by the tanned arm wrapped around her waist.

"Don't go Lucy…" mumbled her sleepy boyfriend, pulling her backwards so she was pressed up against him.

Natsu sleeping in her bed wasn't at all a rare occurrence. It had happened even before they were officially together. The only difference now was that he didn't get screamed at for being there (most of the time), and more and more often in the past few weeks she had asked him to stay.

She rolled over so she was facing him. His top half was completely bare, having tossed his shirt on the floor and leaving his scarf on her bedside table. His eyes were closed, but he had a smile on his face.

"G'mornin Lucy." He said, eyes staying shut.

She lifted a hand up to his cheek, which he tilted his head into. "Good morning Natsu." She replied in a soft voice, smiling at him.

Natsu finally opened his eyes to see Lucy looking right back at him. The two of them were silent for a moment, taking each other in. They were both thinking similar things. Natsu was thinking about her beautiful silky hair, which he thought smelled like flowers, though he didn't know what kind. Her scent always made him feel safe, happy, at home.

Lucy was thinking about his pretty olive green eyes. They had always been one of her favorite things about him, one of the first things she had noticed when they met. They always seemed to shine with intense emotion. Whatever he felt, he felt strongly, and you could always see it. At the moment, there was an emotion in his eyes meant just for her.

He hadn't understood what that emotion had meant for a long time. He'd known that what he felt for his partner was different from what he felt for the rest of the guild, Igneel, and even Happy, but when it had finally dawned on him what it might be, he had panicked.

He had freaked out so much, in fact, that he had asked Gray about it. He had been surprised (and only a little pissed off) when Gray had said "_So you finally figured it out. Dumbass. Everyone knows that you like 'er flame-brain."_

Looking at her now, he couldn't believe he had been such an idiot, though apparently Gray felt he would never stop being one. He suddenly reached up to grab her hand, remembering why she had wanted him to stay the night in the first place.

"You ok now Lucy?"

"Yeah." She said with a weak smile, averting her eyes.

"Ya' sure? Cause it sure doesn't seem like it to me."

Lucy had been having nightmares lately, which Natsu wouldn't have found out about if he hadn't come to give her bag to her after she'd forgotten it at the guild. When he had gotten to her house he'd heard Lucy scream. He had scaled the wall and climbed in her window in record time to see her in her bed, curled up in a ball, crying.

"_Lucy, what's wrong?! Was there someone here? Are you hurt?"_

_She had cried for a while longer while he looked at her with worry and confusion. After a moment, he dropped her bag and slowly walked over to sit next to her._

"_Lucy?"_

_She slowly sat up, taking a few shaky breaths, and looking at him with puffy red eyes._

"_What's goin' on?" he said, holding one of her hands, gently moving his thumb back and forth to try and calm her down, something that usually worked. It didn't this time, she just started crying again and leaned her head against his chest. He decided at this point it would be better to ask again later, fearing that pushing it would just make it worse. He just put his arms around her and let her cry it out._

_She calmed down after a while and pushed back to look at him. He didn't say anything, just looked at her and waited._

_She shook her head, wiped her tears away, and took a deep breath "I'm fine now Natsu. I'm sorry. It was just a silly dream."_

_He didn't believe that at all, but told himself that she would probably tell him eventually. He just stood up and kissed her on the forehead._

"_Alright. 'S long as you're ok. Goodnight Lucy." He wanted to stay with her, but wasn't really sure if that was what she'd want at the moment. He'd climbed up on the windowsill, ready to jump out, when he felt her lightly grab the back of his shirt._

"_Stay." she had said in a very soft voice that he would have missed if it wouldn't have been for his heightened hearing. "Please."_

And that was what had gotten them where they were now.

"Of course I'm ok. I had you protecting me all night." She said. The smile didn't look as weak now. Progress.

He gave her one of his big toothy grins, fangs and all. "Nope. In fact, I'm the scaaariest thing in this room."

"Oh really?" Better smile now. His plan was working.

"Yep. Ya' wanna know why?"

"Tell me." Even better. Getting there.

"I'm… a monster!"

She let out a small laugh "What kind?"

"The worst kind ever!"

With these words, he jumped over her, pinning both wrists above her head and tickling her sides.

Lucy tried to talk, her words interrupted by laughter. "Na-, Natsu-, Sto-p, Ca-, Can't- breathe."

He did as he was told, he always did with her. She was the only person that he ever listened to, besides Erza of course, and that wasn't usually willingly. He grinned at her again, and then suddenly found himself on his back, Lucy straddling him, pinning his wrists down on either side.

"Ha! I win!" she said, smiling triumphantly, eyes sparkling. There. That's what he was going for.

He could have freed himself easily, but decided not to. Instead he looked down at how she had positioned herself on top of him, then looked back up at her and wiggled his eyebrows, a smirk on his face. Realizing the position she was in, Lucy blushed furiously. She attempted to get off of him, but he stopped her, propping himself up on his elbows and leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her lips.

He pulled back and looked at her. Pretty golden hair falling over her shoulders and into her face, brown eyes glowing with happiness and warmth, a smile on her face and a light blush dusting her cheeks. This was the girl he loved. She leaned down and kissed him, prompting him to sit up so she was now in his lap. One of his hands moved up to her cheek, the other to her waist, pulling her closer to him, while her arms wrapped around his neck. They became more and more passionate by the second, pulling each other closer until it felt like there was nothing in the world that could come between them.

Natsu was the first to pull away, touching his forehead to hers. He looked in her eyes and held both of her hands in his. Taking a deep breath and finally saying what had been on his mind since the night before.

"You ready to tell me about that nightmare Lucy?"

Lucy backed up a little, looking down, taking her hands and clasping them together in her lap. She sighed and looked up at him, eyes sad again. Damn it. He hated seeing her upset.

"It was about Aquarius." She said in a shaky voice, eyes threatened with tears again. "There… in the dream… I was right back to when I lost her, and-." She took a deep breath in an attempt to stop the tears from falling. "There were all these voices, and they kept on telling me that…" another shaky breath, "Kept telling me that it was my fault. That I'd never see her again. That I had- that I had killed her."

His eyes changed, a look of frustration, sadness, and concern in his eyes. "Lucy." He said, looking directly into her eyes, a rare seriousness in his tone. "You know." he took a moment to try and compose himself, gritting his teeth. Anything that hurt Lucy upset him, even if it was just a dream. "You know that wasn't your fault. That was awesome, and brave, and you saved us. It was one of the most amazing things you've ever done."

"I'd like to think that."

"I wouldn't lie to ya' Lucy. You and Aquarius gave up a lot and it was all for a good reason. You protected the people important to you. You saved me and everybody else. Don't let the dumbasses in that nightmare tell you anything else. You're amazing and perfect and beautiful and I love you."

The last sentence had slipped out of his mouth very quickly and left him as red as Lucy had been a few moments earlier. It wasn't that he hadn't said it before, because he had. It was that the two of them didn't say it out loud very often, the meaning shown through little touches, looks, gestures. Lucy looked at him, a smile back on her face.

She placed her hand on his cheek and said "Thank you. I believe you." And then, after a little pause, "I love you too." With a feather light touch of her lips to his.

Natsu shook his head, running his fingers through his hair, and then cleared his throat.

"So, uh. What's for breakfast?" he said cracking a smile, cheeks matching his hair.

She put her hand in his, getting out of bed and pulling him along with her.

"Let's figure that out together."

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FIN


End file.
